Coverage comparison by knapsack sprayers manual and engine powered

Abstract

The aim of this study is to compare the application efficiency between costal manual sprayer and an engine powered. Trapezoidal architecture of coffee plants and leafs position constitute a large obstacle to spraying. In this context, application technology became an important factor. One alternative is the use of air assistance to accomplish the distance between the sprayer and the application target. This experiment was entirely randomized with four replications, comparing the two spraying equipments regarding the coverage percentage in three different heights (superior, median and inferior), two different leafs position (external and internal) and two foliar faces (abaxial and adaxial), totalizing 48 plots. The spray rate used was 100L.ha^-1, composed by a water solution with fluorescent tracer. Based on results observed from leafs located in the external position and leafs from internal position of the median height, they denote that the utilization of air assistance is more efficient in leafs percent coverage in coffee plants than a conventional sprayers. This result was especially noted at the abaxial leaves side in the external position, as well as on both sides of the leaves positioned internally and in the plant medium.